By Valentina Cruz
News Writer
Following winter break, the university and Sodexo decided to reimagine the landscape of the Adanti Student Center with some major changes.
One of the most drastic changes was the closing of Peking Plate. The decision cited consistently low student usage and high operation costs.
“Continuing to operate Peking would have increased overall dining costs, including those of other student center food options and also the meal plans,” Robert DeMezzo, the senior director of conferencing, events and student affairs auxiliaries said.
DeMezzo said that the restaurant’s continued operation would have had negative repercussions on the student body, as it would take a toll on money budgeted for students.
DeMezzo emphasized that the main priority of the university is to avoid unnecessary expenditures in order to keep students’ expenses down.
Moving forward, the university is exploring alternative dining concepts that could better meet the needs of students.
“It is a shocking change; however, it will be a successful way to create better flow in Stu and set the semester off to a fresh start,” music major Jack Flanagan, a junior, said.
One possibility the university is exploring is implementing virtual ordering kiosks.
A major issue faced in the Adanti Student Center food court is long wait times during peak hours.
DeMezzo said kiosks can minimize the wait time by giving students the option to browse menu items, customize meals and pay directly through the kiosk.
Many options exist for the space, but no final decisions have been reported at this time.
We are unlikely to see any new implementations until next fall.
Another change students will notice is the relocation of SubConnection. The space formerly occupied by Peking Plate contains equipment better suited for the needs of SubConnection.
“Relocating SubConnection allows us to make full use of this equipment and enhance the quality and variety of the meals available,” DeMezzo said.
Overall, the goal is to expand the range of grilled and heated menu items for students.
The last set of the major changes will be the relocation of Dunkin’ to the space where SubConnection previously was.
Students can expect this change to occur in the Spring semester.
The current space has been deemed unfit to accommodate the volume of student traffic.
Final details of the move and all potential changes are set to be shared with students as soon as decisions are made.
“Relocating Dunkin’ provides an opportunity to create more space for employees and equipment to work to improve safety, speed and consistency of service,” DeMezzo said.
Even so, some students view these changes in a different light. These decisions create extra inconvenience and hardship for students and employees who frequent the space.
Communication major Lucas Ferreira, a junior, said that he is not in favor of the new changes due to his prior experience in food service at the food court.
“It breaks up the vibe of the space, especially the Dunkin’. It will become more chaotic, and there will be less space,” Ferreira said.
Many students like Ferreira are skeptical that the changes actually reflect the needs of the space and are concerned about the precedent of dining options that are available.
“This also limits the food options available, so hopefully the replacement is good enough for the decision to be justified,” Ferreira said.
Ultimately, all decisions were said to have been carefully considered by the university team and Sodexo in order to ensure that the food court is updated, welcoming and sustainable.
“Each change supports the university’s broader goals of improving service quality for our students, aligning and expanding menu variety to meet the needs of our students,” DeMezzo said.
With the changes made and more to come, the university remains determined to consider all student feedback and suggestions.
Time will tell over the next semester how these major changes will impact students.
